Current methods and systems for port provisioning in network elements typically involve a network management platform, such as an element management system (EMS), network management system (NMS), operations support system (OSS), or a local craft interface terminal. The network management platform is used to communicate with a provisioning system of each network element, possibly through a proxy server. For example, a typical flow would be a manual order to add a gigabit Ethernet (GbE) connection across the network including possible human intervention to physically add or replace a component that supports the desired GbE interface. First, the terminating and originating network elements must be equipped with an open GbE port. The order is given to the proper GbE port on each network element, and then a path is provisioned across the network. The path is capable of carrying the GbE between the two endpoints and with the bandwidth and other parameters as specified under the provisioning order. Proxies may be involved, for example the OSS might provision the EMS which might communicate with the network element. Additionally, in some cases the paths may be set up automatically across the network using routing protocols. In other words, the path may be provisioned from the top down.
Most network elements have the ability to switch between different standards at the same rate, such as between SONET and SDH. For example, most network elements support an OC-12 with the same port that supports an STM-4, and vice versa. Additionally, some Ethernet ports support Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s) and GbE with the same hardware. Here, the ports support the same general framing structure with minor differences in the overhead processing.
Recent advances allow ports to be flexible, meaning they can change between rates and protocols solely based on software provisioning. For example, a flexible port can support a range of rates (e.g., 30 Mb/s to 10.7 Gb/s) and protocols (e.g., SONET, SDH, Ethernet, Optical Transport Network (OTN), Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON), Infiniband, Fibre Channel, and the like) with the same physical hardware, relying solely on software control for determining the port's configuration. An example of such flexible ports includes FlexSelect™ ports available from CIENA Corporation of Linthicum, Md.
Many networks utilize signaling to connect two network elements across the network. These methods are generally known in the art as routing and connection control methods. For example, an Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) is a network based on a technology enabling the automatic delivery of transport services; specifically an ASON can deliver not only leased line connections but also other transport services, such as soft permanent and switched optical connections, using signaling. Also, Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) allows traffic paths to be set up through a switched network automatically using signaling.
Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) is a set of enhancements to Ethernet technology that allows use of Ethernet as a carrier class transport network. This uses the concepts of VLAN tagging as per IEEE 802.1Q, Q-in-Q as per IEEE 802.1ad and MAC-in-MAC as per IEEE 802.1ah, but disables the concept of flooding/broadcasting and spanning tree protocol. The objective for PBT is to use Ethernet for connection oriented services as is the case with present SDH/SONET transport by removing complexities of control behaviors involved with the present Ethernet LAN that are unnecessary to support connection oriented forwarding of Ethernet packets. It augments the operational administration and maintenance (OAM), adapting key methods established in SDH/SONET world, by using additional extensions based on IEEE 802.1ag. In its initial form PBT only defined behaviors for the data plane and OAM functions. Extensions to this base are anticipated for control plane; either with routing and path signaling functionality derived from GMPLS, Transport Multi-Protocol Label Switching (TMPLS), ASON or some similar PBT-specific routing and path signaling protocol suite to complete the objective the overall objective of transforming Ethernet to be an effective tool for connection oriented services.
Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) described in RFC 2205 is a network layer protocol designed to reserve resources across a network. RSVP provides receiver-initiated setup of resource reservations for multicast or unicast data flows with scaling and robustness. RSVP can be used by network elements to request or deliver specific levels of quality of service (QoS) for application data streams or flows. Also, Private Network to Network Interface (PNNI) is an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network-to-network signaling protocol providing mechanisms to support scalable, QoS-based ATM routing and switch-to-switch switched virtual connection (SVC) interoperability. PNNI also includes a hierarchical, dynamic link-state routing protocol
With flexible ports, port provisioning utilizing a network management platform for configuration results in rigidity and requires the network management platform to be aware of nodal constraints, such as link occupancy, in order to create routes. Port provisioning using a network management platform also requires contact between the network management platform and both endpoints of the connection, which involves more processing resources and communication by the network management platform, and may not be possible in all cases, such as when different platforms are used to manage each endpoint. Thus, methods and systems are needed which combine the concepts of flexible line modules with distributed control planes.